Last month we congratulated Sabin president Dr. Peter Hotez and executive vice president Dr. Ciro de Quadros for being named among the “Top 50 Global Vaccine Influencers” by Vaccine Nation. But as the Gates Foundation discusses in a recent blog post, there are many more influential women and men working around the world that make realizing global immunization goals possible. The Gates Foundation recognized Sabin senior program officer Dr. Hélène Mambu-ma-Disu in particular for her work in establishing sustainable immunization financing in African countries.

A recently compiled list of Vaccine Influencers is making the rounds. It is dominated by the usual suspects such as heads of agencies and departments, including our own. So many other women and men in many countries came immediately to mind for us—those who have been just as valuable as influencers in ensuring access to valuable vaccines for children globally. We would like to acknowledge some of these unsung heroes, people who greatly influence immunization programs the world over.